Learning new vocabulary

It's been a long time since I've had to sit with a dictionary by my side when I read, but Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird gave me a few challenges.

What on earth is a scuppernong¹? And what's so special about Lane cake²? Why, the shinny³ it contains, of course.

I guess if I had much knowledge of the US deep south I might have done better, but my familiarity is limited to the north, and the north east at that. (My grandad was born in Connecticut)

At last I know where the Boo Radleys⁴ got their name and even good old Lily the Pink⁵ gets a mention.

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1. scuppernong     A type of large white grape

2. Lane cake     Rich layer cake, doused in bourbon and covered in creamy white icing.

3. shinny     Bourbon

4. Boo Radley  Reclusive character who plays a signficant role in the book without appearing more than once.

5. Lily the Pink 1960s song by The Scaffold

I even had the audacity to review it.